Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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a book that deserves a proper review

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles

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I suppose this book deserves a full review, given that now it’s become a full official re-read, and that I enjoy recommending it to others as well. This is one of those gems of a book (well, the first one which turned into reading all of them, of course) that I got from Cannonball Read (narfna, maybe?) (confirmation yes) which reminds me yet again as I do my year end reading reflections that I should take more recommendations from people whose taste I gel with. […]

“Kim was starlight and privilege; Will had his feet firmly fixed in the mud. They didn’t belong together. Except they did.”

Subtle Blood by K.J. Charles

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CBR14 Bingo: Scandal (the book features corruption, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder – not to mention gay people in the 1920s. Gasp!) Spoiler warning! This is the third book in a trilogy. While you can absolutely read this book without the others, you will not get all the beautiful payoff from various earlier storylines that way. Also, this review will contain mild spoilers for earlier in the series. Start with Slippery Creatures. For the last few months, Lord Arthur “Kim” Secretan and Will Darling have actually […]

The continuing adventures of Will and Kim

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles

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CBR14 Bingo – Shadow (spies and all sorts of murky shenanigans throughout the story) This is book two in a series, and it really doesn’t work very well on its own. To start from the beginning, read Slippery Creatures first. Will Darling has settled more comfortably into his role as a London bookseller but has seen nor heard anything from the mysterious Lord Arthur “Kim” Secretan for several months. He has done his best to forget all about the man and get on with his life, agreeing to […]

“My dear chap, this is a bookshop. There’s never anywhere better to be.”

Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles

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CBR14 Bingo: Snake (SPOILER: being a thoroughly disreputable sort, Kim also turns out to betray Will at least once during the story) Will Darling has inherited his late uncle’s bookshop and is grateful for the fact. After serving in World War I, most of his skills involve killing swiftly and efficiently, not really a commodity on the post-war job markets back in England. Now he just needs to get some idea of all the books actually in the shop and get on with being a […]

two short reviews for two short scenes

To Trust Man On His Oath by K.J. Charles

How Goes The World? by K.J. Charles

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To Trust Man On His Oath I saved this conversational exchange as a draft review, knowing that I was terribly behind on reviews and wanting not to forget the sentiment: Will sighed internally. “Look, you don’t have to talk to me. But if you want to, it’s three in the morning.” “Does the time make a difference?” “Don’t you know?” Kim’s expression suggested he didn’t, and perhaps he wouldn’t. He was not much of a man for confidences, or intimacies. “Three in the morning, or […]

so sad this was over

Subtle Blood by K.J. Charles

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CW: I cannot fully remember, but I recall there’s some period appropriate homophobia but from family members The interesting thing about this trilogy of books is how it doesn’t fit the normal arc of trilogies. Usually, Book 1 stands alone-ish–sets up the world, but the main plot issue sorts itself out so that if there’s no traction there’s not a horrid dangling issue left for the audience to deal with. Also, you’re more likely to get traction because the book has a nice finality to […]



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